From C.K Nayak
NEW DELHI: The partial ban on liquor in Meghalaya and other states has had a boomerang effect so far with rise in illegal sale of alcohol and use of narcotics and new problems like spurious liquor and gang wars.
With the restriction in the sale of liquor in Meghalaya, Bihar and Gujarat, liquor trade moved underground and as the business got organised, consumption levels shot up to earlier levels.
“When any social problem becomes more of an individual action in a private space, the ability of the government to intervene in solving the problem becomes more difficult,” said Biju Dominic, the chief executive officer of Final Mile Consulting, a behaviour architecture firm.
In Meghalaya, restriction on liquor sale was imposed last year through an order of the Excise Department. However, this did little to control drinking habits of people. Rather, the move led to illegal sales and spurt in the number of drug users, especially youngsters.
“From the perspective of behaviour change, the most significant consequence of bans is that it absolves an individual of the responsibility of solving social evils he indulges in. The ban hands over that responsibility to law enforcement agencies,” said Dominic and added that bans have immediate benefits to their proponents and are a clear display of “right intentions”.
A chief minister announcing total ban of alcohol is signalling genuine interest in eradicating the menace of alcoholism from the State.
Dominic observed that in the short term, ban on liquor do show positive results, especially for the vast majority of occasional drinkers who would curtail drinking if there’s any hurdle.
Bans also compartmentalise the general public into those who support and those who oppose the ban. The criticisms will further strengthen the resolve of those supporting the ban.
For politicians, bans of any kind that consolidate some segment of their voter base and even show some immediate results are like blessing and they will not miss an opportunity to use it, Dominic said.
Practical experience shows that in a country like India ban on liquor in a few states only shifts the trade to neighbouring states.
In fact, adjoining states like Assam in the North East, Uttar Pradesh in central India, Jharkhand in the east and Rajasthan in the west have become pockets of heaven for drinkers after the restriction was imposed in Meghalaya, Bihar and Gujarat. Studies have shown that a ban on liquor cannot be implemented fully since one has to exempt certain categories of people like foreign tourists. It is also not possible to check every house and hotel since people tend to store liquor for later use.